Sure on this Shining Night
by cpjjgj
Summary: Draco's thoughts as he tells Leila that he loves her for the first time. Companion piece to "We'll be a Dream" chapter 18, from Draco's perspective.


**Sure on this Shining Night**

**(**Companion to Ch. 18 of "We'll be a Dream" Draco's POV**)**

Dedicated to: BlueRose22

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Obviously.**

Draco lay with his hands behind his head on his on four-poster bed with emerald bed hangings in the sixth year Slytherin boys' dormitory. His thoughts were occupied on a certain girl he had a thing for since he officially met her on the Hogwarts Express first year: Leila Potter. Some may claim that his obsession started before he even knew her, which he wouldn't completely deny. He couldn't explain why he took an interest in her, but he did. For years he had tried to prove his affections for her and convince her to give him a chance, but every attempt proved futile. Well, every attempt until this year. Of course she would realize the undeniable chemistry between them when he tried to push her away. Needless to say even through everything they were together; had been for months. He loved every minute with her, even when she was being undoubtedly stubborn or sarcastic. Not only did he love every minute with her, he loved her.

The thought of him being in love scared him. He had never been in love before. Not even with Pansy Parkinson, even though he knew her to harbor feelings toward him. He just used Pansy; he would admit that, at least to himself. Pansy had been nothing more than a decent snog or someone to piss Leila off. But he had gotten into trouble with Leila earlier in the year because of Pansy, but in his defense, he wasn't sure the thing with Leila was real. After he had messed-up, he ended things with Pansy and found out that what he and Leila had was real, or at least it seemed real to him.

There were a couple of drawbacks to dating Leila Potter. One, their relationship was strictly a secret. They were the only ones that knew what was going on between them. It was probably for the best given their situations. His family wouldn't find her worthy enough for him because of her blood-status. Normally, he would agree with his family; but for reasons unknown to him he could overlook her half-blood status. At least she wasn't a Mudblood; besides, the Potter name was a very old and established name in the Wizarding world. But his family wasn't the only problem either. Leila's older brother Harry had been his rival since the first train ride to Hogwarts. He didn't like all the fame and attention Potter got simply for existing. So overall, neither their families nor their friends would accept a relationship with them, so they were forced to sneak around Hogwarts snogging by night and hating each other by day.

The second drawback, and probably the biggest drawback, was that she was a distraction. Dating Leila Potter distracted him from the mission the Dark Lord had given him: to kill Dumbledore. He had decided on mending the Vanishing Cabinet in the Room of Requirement would be the best way to accomplish the task, but so far his attempts were proving futile. He had decided to try and speed the process up a bit by having seventh year Gryffindor Katie Bell deliver a cursed necklace to Dumbledore that he had bought at Borgin and Burkes, but his plot was foiled when Katie Bell had been cursed instead. He needed to complete his mission otherwise the Dark Lord would kill him. He was running out of time and he knew it. He needed to complete his mission before the end of the school year or face the consequences, which likely included death.

But part of him felt a sense of pride knowing that the Dark Lord had chosen him for this mission. Other Death Eaters whispered that this was a suicide mission, but the Dark Mark on his arm meant something to him. This was something he had only dreamed about when he was younger. His father often talked about how things would be much different if the Dark Lord hadn't been defeated. Things would be much better. He had been raised to believe that the Dark Lord had the right ideas about blood purity and the Wizarding World. If he succeeded with his mission he could advance further in the Dark Lord's graces, maybe even become more trusted than Snape. Right now he hated Snape. His former favorite professor just wanted to steal the glory that was rightfully his.

This left only one thing for Draco to do, he needed to work harder. If he didn't want Snape to take what rightfully belonged to him, he needed to spend more time with the Vanishing Cabinet. What he needed to do was skip Quidditch today. It was Slytherin's big match against Gryffindor. He would love to play and finally put Saint-Potter in his place, but when he thought about it; fixing the Vanishing Cabinet was more important than risking his life. He needed to devote every ounce of his being into fixing the blasted thing rather than playing a pointless Quidditch match. It was all about priorities and right now, that Vanishing Cabinet was one of his biggest priorities. That and Leila.

Draco looked around his dormitory at his sleeping roommates. All of them were sleeping: Crabbe, Goyle, Zabini, and Nott. He needed to get out of the Slytherin dungeon and for the Room of Requirement before his roommates woke up. He quickly changed into his everyday-wear and wrote a note to Zabini telling him that he wasn't feeling well and wasn't going to make the Quidditch match. He then stuffed the note on Zabini's Quidditch uniform and left. He quickly walked to the Room of Requirement as to not get caught. He didn't want to deal with receiving another detention from that stupid squib Filch. He already had enough detentions from Snape distracting him from his mission.

He spent hours in that bloody room trying to fix that Vanishing Cabinet. Nothing he tried seemed to be working. He even had Leila help him find a book on Vanishing Cabinets but it didn't offer him much help in repairing. It told him what would happen if the thing was broken, but gave him very little information on how to fix what was broken. He kicked the brooms that were beside him. Right now he should be with the school down at the Quidditch pitch. He should already be done with fixing this. Things just weren't working the way he had planned. Draco slumped to the ground quivering. He tried to hold back his emotions. He couldn't afford to break-down now. He hated being weak. He hated showing any sign of emotion. Normally, he could just compartmentalize these things. But it in the back of his mind and not think about it again. After a deep breath and raking his fingers through his hair he stood back up and walked back to the Vanishing Cabinet. Maybe he had missed something in the book. Maybe he had overlooked something with all the pressure he had put on himself. So he grabbed the book and sat in the overstuffed armchair Leila had once cried in over him to reread the book, searching for something he had missed.

When he finally left the Room of Requirement, darkness was beginning to settle over the castle. He hadn't realized that he had been in there so long. A pair of boys dressed in crimson with face-paint on their faces almost ran into him because they were running and shouting as they went down the corridor. He assumed from the look on their faces and the contraband Butterbeer in their arms that Gryffindor had won the Quidditch match.

"Potter's done it again! He led us straight to victory!" one of the boys shouted.

"But with the way his sister was playing, I almost thought it was going to end like the World Cup a few years ago," the other boy said.

"She is pretty damn good, I will admit; but it's the Seeker that makes or breaks the match. And with Slytherin down Malfoy it was pretty obvious that Potter was going to win it for us," the first boy added.

The annoying Gryffindor boys' voices faded down the corridor. He felt a slight pang in his stomach. Were people going to blame him for Slytherin losing the match? Slytherin probably had the better team if they had played all of their first-string without any reserves. But what was done was done; although his fellow Slytherins probably weren't too happy with him. So the last place he wanted to be was in the Slytherin common room after their loss to Gryffindor. With the castle as heavily guarded as it was, going outside the castle wasn't much of an option. He opted for the Astronomy Tower.

Once he was on the Astronomy Tower he walked for the edge and leaned over the railing. He could faintly hear the noise from the Gryffindor common room as he looked out into the night's sky. His mother had taught him to have an appreciation for the stars. His namesake, Draco, was a constellation in the northern hemisphere. His mother's family, the Blacks, often named their children after constellations. It was a family tradition, one which his mother had kept. When he was younger, his mother would take him to watch the stars. As he got older, he pretended to act like he wasn't interested; but truth was he found the stars fascinating. Something about looking at them made him feel that he wasn't alone. The door to the Astronomy Tower opened and closed and Draco was too lost in his thoughts to even notice. He was shocked to find a pair of arms snaked around his middle. Quickly, he turned his head to find Leila burying her head in his shirt. He slightly chuckled as he felt Leila breathe onto his back.

"How did you find me?" Draco asked.

"I have my ways," Leila whispered.

Draco looked as his girlfriend once more. She was slightly shivering from the cold, but looking at her clothing the thought didn't surprise him. She was only wearing a black long-sleeved shirt with a pair of jeans. He shook his head slightly as Leila clung to him.

"You must be cold," Draco commented.

"I'm fine. I'm with you," Leila commented.

He sighed at her response. He didn't want her to freeze up here with him, so he took off his black coat and handed it to Leila. His thoughts turned back to when he offered her the same gesture at the Yule Ball. Originally, she tried to refuse his jacket and eventually took it. This time, she took it without hesitation which proved just how far they had come in their relationship. He had wanted this for so long and as clichéd as it sounded: being with Leila Potter was even more than he imagined. He couldn't properly explain his feelings because he didn't deal with them much; but there was this feeling in his heart that he couldn't shake. His heart would swell anytime he was with her. It would hurt when she hurt. When she was happy, he wanted her to stay that way. He knew what most people would call this: love; but he wasn't sure how to tell Leila. Given their history, he was slightly scared of rejection. What if he told her how he felt and she didn't return the gesture? What if she didn't take their relationship as seriously as he did? He didn't get much of a chance to dwell on those what-if's because Leila interrupted him.

"Now you're going to be cold," Leila said.

His response was to shrug his shoulders and to look back out onto the stars. This would be the perfect place to tell her, on this shining night. He had been thinking about telling her for a while now, but the moment never seemed right or he talked himself out of doing so. If the moment arose, he would tell her. Leila's arms gently released him as she moved. She leaned her back against the railing so that she was facing him as she brought one hand to his face. Her small hand felt soft and warm on his face. He looked into her eyes and could tell that there was something she wanted to say to him.

"So where were you today?" Leila asked.

"Wasn't feeling well," Draco mumbled in a lie.

"Says the boy who kept making us reschedule our matches third year even though his arm was just fine," Leila teased.

"I heard you played well," Draco said changing the subject off himself.

"Eh, it wasn't much of a game; seeing as we were missing our star Seeker," Leila smiled.

Draco sighed and rubbed his face against Leila's smooth hand. He then looked into Leila's stunning emerald eyes once more. There was so much he wanted to tell her. Part of him wanted her to know everything about him; but he knew that he could never do that. He could never tell Leila about his mission. He wanted her by his side, no matter how much his family would disapprove. He wanted to hold her in his arms all day and never let go. He knew that he was turning into a sap, but that's what happened when he was around Leila. For minutes, the couple stood there under the stars with their eyes locked on each other's. It almost felt like Draco could see his life pass before his eyes as he gazed into her eyes; but he was broken from his reverie when Leila ran her fingers through his hair. Shivers went up and down his spine at her touch.

"You've been awfully quiet lately, Draco," Leila said.

"I've been doing some thinking," Draco said.

"Not just today, but in general. In all the time I've known you, I haven't known you to be this soft-spoken," Leila commented.

"I've been thinking," Draco repeated.

"About?" Leila whispered.

This was it. This was the moment he had been waiting for. He was going to tell her how he felt. Only, he wasn't going to expect her to say anything in return. That's what love was about right, being self-less? He knew he had heard this somewhere and right now, he needed to get this off his chest. He couldn't tell her every little thing about him, but this was a start. He grabbed her hand that was loosely clutching his hair with his own hand. His hand felt so much bigger than hers, but it was a good feeling. He then took a step back from her and released her as it fell to her side. Her eyes were shining in the starlight full of confusion. His automatic response was to close his eyes and take a deep breath before he talked himself out of doing this. An idea came to him, which caused to him fumble with the Slytherin ring on his finger. He wiggled the ring slowly back and forth off his finger. Once the ring was off, he grabbed her hand once more and opened it. Into her palm he pressed his Slytherin ring, one of his most prized possessions.

"I—erm—I uh, I want you to have this," Draco stumbled on his words.

Gently, he closed her fingers around his ring.

"I don't understand," Leila whispered.

"I want you to have it. It belongs to you," Draco mumbled.

"What?" Leila asked.

"Leila…I don't know how to tell you this; but I've been thinking about this, about us, for a while now. It's just that, I just—erm—Merlin, I must sound like a nutter. I—erm—I'm just going to come out with this before I talk myself out of it again. Just don't laugh, promise me you won't laugh. I've never done this before. I—I love you, Leila," Draco said.

"Draco," Leila whispered.

"I'm not going to expect you to say it back or anything. I just, well, I just wanted you to know. I love you Leila Potter. I probably loved you for years, but I had given up. Then you changed your mind and finally gave me a chance. And—wait a minute, I'm such a cad. I should have asked you if…" Draco rambled.

"Draco," Leila said once more, this time beaming with a smile.

"What?" Draco asked.

Leila then threw her arms around his neck and pulled herself tightly against him. Her lips found his and they met in a passionate kiss. He wasn't sure what this meant, but instinctively his arms snaked around Leila's waist, keeping her body close to his. He could practically feel the warmth from her body radiating on him. Then, she broke the kiss, closing her eyes and breathing deeply. Draco wanted to know what was going through that pretty head of hers. He had just declared his love for her and her response was to snog him. Looking at her, he tried to determine whether that response was a good thing or a bad thing. She finally opened her eyes and his icy eyes found hers. He searched her eyes for answers, when Leila broke away from his gaze. Her lips moved to his ear. He could feel her warm breath on his neck and ear, which caused a tingling sensation. What was she doing? Whatever it was; was going to drive him mad if she continued.

"I love you too, Draco Malfoy," Leila whispered for only him to hear.

"You really mean it?" Draco responded.

As much as he had wanted her to respond to his declaration; he didn't want her to say it if she didn't mean it. He wanted to be sure that he wasn't the only one with his heart in this. He looked at Leila in confusion as she reached for something around her neck. Her fingers finally found the clasp to the necklace with the delicate "L" pendant and she took it off her neck. Rumor had it, that the necklace had once belonged to Leila's mother: Lily Potter. He and Leila never discussed her parents, but he could tell that Leila missed them. Honestly, he didn't know what he would do if he lost his parents. Leila then slipped his ring onto her necklace. He could see his ring dangling on the chain beside the pendant.

"Can you get this for me?" Leila asked.

She handed him the necklace which she gently placed in his hand. Then, she turned her back toward him and lifted her hair out of the way, so that he had a view of her neck. He placed the necklace in front of the neck and wrapped it around. The clasp was rather difficult and he fumbled for a while to reclasp it. After several failed attempts, the clasp finally took and the necklace fell into its proper place. Leila then turned back around and placed her small hands in his.

'I do love you, Draco. I love you more than I ever thought possible," Leila whispered.

His hand reached for the back of her head as he gently pulled her closer to him. He then leaned over to kiss her. He kissed her passionately, putting all his unspoken words into that kiss. Leila did the same returning the kiss with just as much passion. She said that she loved him. Euphoria was running through Draco. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt so happy about something in his life. It seemed like he had waited forever to hear those words come from her mouth, and they were worth it. After several more kisses Leila broke away and rested her head on his chest. He placed his chin on top of her head and just held her.

"You're short," Draco teased.

"Of course the first thing you would say after "I love you" is to make fun of my height," Leila chuckled.

Draco also chuckled and held her tighter in his arms. He looked to the starry sky and thanked that lucky star that Leila loved him back. Something that had once seemed like an impossible dream for years was finally a reality: sure on this shining night.

A/N: This one-shot was written for that dedicated reader who asked for more Draco. It was a nice break to write Draco's perspective and a break from "Lost Along the Way" (which I will be going back to after this) The title comes from probably one of my favorite songs ever, "Sure on the Shining Night" the Lauridsen choir arrangement (Words by James Agee). I don't normally do this, but here are the lyrics. If you take a listen on YouTube, I hope you love it as much as I do! Enjoy!

Sure on this shining night/Of star-made shadows round/Kindness must watch for me/This side the ground/The late year lies down the north,/All is healed, all is health/High summer holds the earth,/Hearts all whole/Sure on this shining night/I weep for wonder/Wandr'ing far alone/Of shadows on the stars.


End file.
